Garment holder for wardrobe trunks



June 15, 1954 J. STAFFA GARMENT HOLDER FOR WARDROBE TRUNKS Filed Sept.11, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet l mlmllllll IIIHIHH HHIIHIIIIIIIIH Joseph StaffaINVENTOR. m M, a Aflnmq's J 1954 J. STAFFA GARMENT HOLDER FOR WARDROBETRUNKS\ Filed Sept. 11, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 w m M a m A mm v I .S. M.e u M J Y B 8 m H w A? a w E Patented June 15, 1 954 UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE GARMENT HOLDER FDR WARDROBE TRUNKS Joseph Stafia, Chicago,Ill.

Application September 11, 1952, Serial No. 309,027

6 Claims. 1

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in attachments forwardrobe trunks and the primary object of the present invention is toprovide means for supporting and retaining garments disposed witthin atrunk in a neatly folded position.

Another important object of the present invention is to provide anattachment for a wardrobe trunk including a novel and improved hangerthat will releasably hold a blouse and skirt or pants and a jacketwithout permitting wrinkling of the two garments supported thereon.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an attachmentfor a wardrobe trunk including supports having swingable outer sectionswhich are extended to a substantially hori zontal position whereupongarment hangers may be slid thereon and exposed from the trunk.

A still further aim of the present invention is to provide an attachmentfor a wardrobe trunk of the aforementioned. character that is extremelysimple and practical in construction, strong and reliable in use, neatand attractive in appearance, efficient and durable in use, in expensiveto manufacture, and otherwise well adapted for the purposes for whichthe same is intended.

Other objects and advantages reside in the details of construction andoperation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, referencesbeing had to the accompanying drawings forming part hereof, wherein likenumerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the invention and showing the trunkforming halves in open position;

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional View taken substantially on the planeof section line 22 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a front elevational View of one of the garment hangers,showing a dress supported thereon, the skirt of the dress beingfoldedover the holding bar, and with dotted lines showing the holdingbar raised from the dress supporting hanger portion;

Figure l is a vertical sectional View taken substantially on the planeof section line ti of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is an enlarged detail vertical sectional view takensubstantially on the plane of section line -5 of Figure 3;

Figure 6 is a fragmentary top plan view of Figure 9 Figure '7 is anenlarged detail vertical sectional view taken substantially on the planeof section line 1-! of Figure 6;

Figure 8 is a detail vertical sectional View taken substantially on theplane of section line 8-3 of Figure 1; and,

Figure 9 is an enlarged view similar to Figure 1 but showing the curtainraised, the swingable sections of the support moved to their forwardposition and further showing one of the garment hangers moved upon theforward support sections.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, wherein for the purpose ofillustration, there is disclosed a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention, the numeral Ill represents a wardrobe trunk including upperand lower case forming members 12 and Hi whose rear Walls are hingedlyconnected, as at 15, whereby the lower member may be swung upwardly injuxtaposition with the upper member. Latch arms i8 pivotally attached tothe forward wall of the member 12 are engageable with keepers 26 on theforward wall of member i l to lock the members i2 and i l injuxtaposition. Folding braces 22 connect the rear corners of the members52 and Hi together and limit opening movement of the lllel'llber M to aposition perpendicular to the member 52.

The outer flanges of a pair of spaced parallel channels 24 are fixedlysecured by rivets or the like, to the inner faces of the side walls 2%of the member 52 and are so located as to be disposed in a horizontalposition both when the trunk is open as shown in Figure 1 and when themembers i2 and I l are locked together with their forward walls facingupwardly in a carrying position.

Supports 28 are secured to the channels 24. The supports 28 includeinner cylindrical stationary sections 30 and outer cylindrical swingablesections 32. The outer ends of sections 35 are formed with transverseslots 3% that receive tongues 38 at the inner ends of the sections 32.Pivots or pins 38 extend through the slotted ends of the sections 3d andthe tongues 36 to permit swinging movement of the sections 32 toward andaway from each other. Spring washers 49 about the pins 38, underlie thetongues 36 and are biased between the tongues and the lower walls of theslots 34 to yieldingly retain a rib G2 on the upper face of each tongueit within one recess of a pair of relatively perpendicular recesses 44in the upper wall of each slot 3 1, so that the sections 32 will bemaintained either coaxial with sections 38 or perpendicular thereto. I

The inner flanges of the channels 24 are bent to form sleeves it thatare suitably fixed about the reduced inner end portions of the sections36. The external diameter of the sleeves i6 is equal to the externaldiameter of the forward end portions of the sections 39 and the externaldiameter of the sections 32, to provide a sub stantially continuoussmooth exterior surface for the supports 28.

A plurality of garment hangers 48 are removably and slidably supportedon the supports 28. Each hanger 43 includes an elongated member 513having a s raight upper portion 52 that terminates in downwardly facinghooks fa l whose bight portions 53 extend upwardly from the upperconvexed edge 58 of portion Members 52 also include central verticalneck portions 56 and shoulder engaging arms 62 that will be enaged withthe shoulder portions of a garment, such as a blouse, jacket, sweater orthe like.

A horizontal holding bar 64 forms a part of each hanger 8 and the barsoverlie edges 53 and have their ends resting upon the bight portions '5.U-shaped spring clips 5% are engaged upwardly over the lower edges ofthe bars 64 and the outturned ends 53 of the clips 66 are disposed inrecesses '58 in the sides of the bars 5 to prevent the same fromsnagging clothing on the hangers. The upper ends of vertical pins F2 aresuitably fixed to the clips 6% and the pins 72 are preferably roughenedto be frictionally retained in recesses or blind bores i4 provided inthe night portions 56.

A pair of spaced parallel vertical lugs H5 extend upwardly from each bar64. The lugs '56 may be suitably fixedly attached to the bars 5 3 orthese lugs may be integrally formed with the bars. Lugs is will functionas stops to prevent or limit sliding movement of a garment G engaged onthe bars.

The outer ends of the sections 32 are formed with smoothly roundedflanges '18 that will limit the sliding movement of the garment hooks 54outwardly from the members i2 when the sections 32 are disposed inspaced parallel relation.

The inner flanges of lower downwardly facing channels 8% are secured tothe inner faces of side walls by rivets or the like and parallel theupper channels The inner flanges of the channels 86 are provided withlongitudinally spaced notches 82 for selectively receiving the ends of across-bar 8 Bar as extends through a casing 83 at the lower edge of aflexible curtain 83 and the upper edge of this curtain is also providedwith a casing 93 and receives a holding rod 92 terminally secured to themember 12 adjacent the forward wall thereof.

In practical use of the invention, the trunk it may be carried to adesired area for use and then swung downwardly so that member i l willrest upon a supporting surface. Arms l8 are then released from keepers2c and the member I2 is raised to a vertical position as shown best inFigures 1 and 9 of the drawings.

Sections 32 are swung outwardly and forwardly until the ribs or detents32 enter the longitudinally extending recesses or detents in thesections 39, as shown in Figure 6.

Next, rod 84 is disengaged from channels 38 and the curtain 88 foldedupwardly and backwardly over the front wall of member 52.

The hangers 458 are slid forwardly upon the sections 32 for exposing thegarments and permitting a selected hanger to be raised upwardly from thesupport sections 32.

In order that the garment hangers 58 may be removed from the suit caseand supported on a 4 rod or the like, small slat hook elements may bepivotally attached to the vertical neck portions. These hook elements(not shown) may be raised when in use and swung alongside of the neckportion in an out of the way position when not in use.

In view of the foregoing description taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, it is believed that a clear understanding of thedevice will be quite apparent to those skilled in this art. A moredetailed description is accordingly deemed unnecessary.

It is to be understood, however, that even though there is herein shownand described a preferred embodiment of the invention, the same issusceptible to certain changes fully comprehended by the spirit of theinvention as herein described and the scope of the appended claims.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. For use in a wardrobe trunk having a top and spaced side walls, apair of hanger supports including stationary sections adapted to besecured to the side walls and swingable sections pivoted to thestationary sections, a hanger adapted to be slidably and removablysupported by said supports comprising an elongated member havingdownwardly facing hooks at the ends thereof adapted to be engaged overthe supports, said member having a downwardly extending garment shouldersupporting element at the midportion thereof, a holding bar overlyingthe member and means releasably securing said holding bar to saidmember.

2. For use in a wardrobe trunk having a top and spaced side walls, apair of hanger supports including stationary sections adapted to besecured to the side walls and swingable sections pivoted to thestationary sections, a hanger adapted to be slidably and removablysupported by said supports comprising an elongated mem-- ber havingdownwardly facing hooks at the ends thereof adapted to be engaged overthe supports, said member having a downwardly extending garment shouldersupporting element at the midportion thereof, a holding bar overlyingthe member and pins carried by the ends of said bar and projectinglaterally therefrom toward said member, said hooks having recessestherein in which said pins are received.

3. For use in a wardrobe trunk having a top and spaced side walls, apair of hanger supports including stationary sections adapted to besecured to the side walls and swingable sections pivoted to thestationary sections, a hanger adapted to be slidably and removablysupported by said supports comprising an elongated member havingdownwardly facing hooks at the ends thereof adapted to be engaged overthe supports, said member having a downwardly extending garment shouldersupporting element at the midportion thereof, a holding bar overlyingthe member, means releasably securing said bar to said member, saidmember having a straight central portion with an upper edge, said hookshaving bight portions extending upwardly from said upper edge to supportthe bar above and parallel to said upper edge, whereby a garment may bedisposed about the bar and behind the member.

4. For use in a wardrobe trunk having a top and spaced side walls, apair of hanger supports including stationary sections adapted to besecured to the side walls and swingable sections pivoted to thestationary sections, a hanger adapted to be slidably and removablysupported by said supports comprising an elongated memher havingdownwardly facing hooks at the ends thereof adapted to be engaged overthe supports, said member having a downwardly extending garment shouldersupporting element at the midportion thereof, a holding bar overlyingthe memher and carried by the ends of said bar and projecting laterallytherefrom toward said me1nber, said hooks having recesses therein inwhich said pins are received, spring clips fixed to the pins andyieldingly engaged about the bar.

5. For use in a Wardrobe trunk having a top and spaced side walls, apair of hanger supports including stationary seotions adapted to becured to the side walls and swingable sections pivoted to the stationarysections, a hanger 1 adapted to be slidably and removably supported bysaid supports comprising an elongated member having downwardly facinghooks at the ends thereof adapted to be engaged over the supports, saidmember having a downwardly extending garment shoulder supporting elementat the midportion thereof, a holding bar overlying the member, meansreleasably securing said bar to said member, said member having astraight central portion with an upper edge, said hooks having bightportions extending upwardly from said upper edge to support the barabove and parallel to said upper edge, whereby a garment may be disposedabout the bar and behind the member, and a pair of spaced lugs fixed toand extending upwardly from said bar to limit longitudinal slidingmovement of a garment engaged over the bar.

A garment hanger comprising an elongated member having downwardly facingterminal hooks adapted to be slidably engaged over a of parallel rails,said member having a downwardly extending garment shoulder supportingelement at the midportion thereof, said member inc-hiding a centralportion having an upper straight edge, said hooks having bight portionsextending upwardly from said edge, a holding bar paralleling said edgeand resting on said bight portions, and means releasably securing theends of the bar to the bight portions of said hooks.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 941,510 Freeman Nov. 30, 1909 1,262,608 Wheary Apr. 9, 19182,340,320 Goldbert Feb. 1, 1944

